


what a joy it is

by clizzyhours



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Bisexual!Izzy, Clizzy - Freeform, F/F, Introspection, Isabelle & Maryse Lightwood, Oops, Pan!Simon, Pride, Purely a happy Piece, Run-On Sentences, bisexual!maia, but also AU, canon sexualities (malec/heline/meliorn/raphael), celebration, different writing styles as usual, lesbian!clary fray, lesbian!rebecca lewis, mention of smoking and alcohol, sam&ollie: a mention, set post 3.22, so shrug, unedited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 12:10:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19425712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clizzyhours/pseuds/clizzyhours
Summary: Isabelle and a journey to a pride.





	what a joy it is

**Author's Note:**

> clary x isabelle  
> and my take upon experiences with pride (friend wise.)  
> thank you so much for reading and please enjoy!

The Hunter’s Moon is beautiful in the night with gleaming windows and illuminating lights, the entrance bustling with Shadow World patrons. Pride decor is full blast with pretty flags and pins.

Music blares loudly, pulsing as the smell of hot and greasy food lingers in the atmosphere.

Puffs of smoke are visible in the air from a lone figure twiddling a cigarette while bottles clang in the background.

The sun has set with night settling in, a mixture of a blueback canvas with the barest hints of stars starting to show vividly. An oppressive heat has overtaken the city with endless humidity and sweat from nearby mundanes.

Isabelle can’t help but take it all in as she makes her way over, heels clicking against the dirty asphalt. Bits of trash and litter are scattered across the road as cars rush by, loud and thrumming. New York City is always alive but summer nights often feel so much more with endless opportunities and freedom stretching by.

She has always loved summer and seeing mundane families strolling by in Central Park as their kids frolicked in the green grass, gently petting their animals or munching on a delicious treat such as ice cream.

The food trucks where several people line up and wait impatiently to order food. People ducking under nearby canvases to shade them from the heavy sunshine and grant them momentary protection from the hot temperatures.

She loves seeing the uttermost freedom that they have, the chance to run around and laugh and delight in what the weather has to offer.

Isabelle never had the chance as a child but she thinks sometimes these moments almost make up for it.

And there’s something else she has heard about in the past, a month of celebration and honoring history where she had sneaked out from the New York Institute to watch the colorful parades traipse by, people of color and people of various backgrounds in bright makeup, rainbow clothes, and wide smiles as they held various pride flags. A whole another world, she remembers thinking.

She remembers reading forbidden books at the Shadowhunter Academy with Aline, immersing herself in a world where girls could kiss other girls and live happily. They had scoured books and hid the novels from prying Shadowhunters’ eyes.

History books, history of pride and of the LGBT+ community, she had devoured as well, constantly hungry for knowledge.

She remembers the research and the knowing gaze of Alec and the early infatuation she had with Aline and the endless confusion swirling inside of her and oh, By The Angel indeed.

Summer is a lot of variables, Isabelle thinks.

She’s moving closer to the entrance but slowly taking her time, languishing in the early hours of the evening turned night.

It was quite something to experience pride, she recalls. Throughout the years, she had watched from the corner of some avenue in a sea of people, peeking through with burning curiosity. Alec had went with her once to a pride march after a lot of pleading and begging. They had stood far away all while glamoured. Alec was stoic, standing tall and proud but she remembers the hint of something on his face as he watched couples hold hands and kiss proudly. A fleeting expression before his icy facade went back up.

She remembers the sorrow she had felt when Alec had turned away, disappearing into the next crowd as she remained behind.

She had understood his reasoning's quite well.

Isabelle thinks of their journey to pride today with Magnus wearing eye makeup in purplepinkblue, his clothing loose and beautiful, painting her brother’s cheeks with the gay pride flags. Alec had looked so open and carefree, smiling widely.

She was so thankful for Magnus in so many ways but the love he has for Alec? It’s everything.

She thinks of Simon and Maia painting colors and waving flags, laughing loudly with Bat Velasquez somewhere in the background. Pansexual and bisexual flags twirling and twirling, lost in the crowd. Jace disappearing into the sea of people. Luke and Maryse following along for moral support and she thinks of the happiness she had felt at seeing her mom there.

Her mother has come a long way and Izzy can’t help but be ecstatic.

All she has ever wanted was her mother’s approval not only for Alec, but for herself.

Isabelle thinks of her mom’s gentle words, tucking her dark strand of hair back, enveloping her into a warm hug one night. She had whispered words of comfort, of approval, yes, yes, of course it’s okay, i love you no matter what.

Isabelle had cried that night, her heavy but past burdens beginning to ease.

She had kept looking around, moving among and around the mundanes, spying Simon’s sister Rebecca Lewis sporting a crop top outfit, choker, and sparkly glitter across her cheekbone in reminiscent of the lesbian pride flag. Luke's former detective partner Olivia Wilson is lurking in the background with her fiancee Sam, their fingers interlocked as they kiss happily.

Aline Penhallow and Helen Blackthorn holding hands and giggling, their wedding rings sparkling in the bright sun. Aline twirled Helen around and around and around among the flurries of color and the pouring music.

She recognized a mixture of Shadowhunters, tentative in their approach but happy to bask in the crowd.

Downworlders happy, dancing and laughing among pride. Meliorn and Raphael had been somewhere with their own marks and flags proudly shown, bisexual and asexual colors galore, she distantly remembers as her focus had fallen onto her girlfriend.

Mundanes wandered everywhere as the rest of her world mingled, the Shadow World blending into what constituted as normality.

Alicante’s first pride was happening soon but some things were meant to be such as two worlds collectively meeting for a wondrous occasion, history and celebration and fighting for a better future for the LGBT+ community in one.

Clary had made her way over to Isabelle, fiery red hair pulled back in space buns, eyes smeared with color and a pretty lipstick color that contrasted with her ensemble. Her face lit up when she saw Isabelle, immediately rushing towards her and jumping, her legs wrapping around Izzy’s waist.

She had laughed, holding Clary with a fierce grip and quickly kissing her headily.

“I love you,” Clary had whispered and a surge of pure love rushed through her, Isabelle cradling her gently.

“I know,” She whispered back.

The rest of the day went on and on and on, loud and bright and wonderful. It felt genuine. It felt real. It felt like everything had slid into place for a little while. Happiness was everywhere, Isabelle recalls.

Her own pride makeup stills decorates she face, her red lipstick freshly reapplied to match her red dress.

She’s at the Hunter’s Moon entrance. Isabelle makes her way in at once, dark brown eyes scanning the large area.

Magnus and Alec are in a corner booth, huddled closely intimately. She sees Simon arguing with Raphael near the pool table, Maia rolling her pretty brown eyes as she makes her way over to score.

Jace is struggling to flirt with a pretty woman and she can’t help but laugh.

Izzy sees her mom drinking a glass of alcohol, Luke’s hand resting on top of hers.

She sees everything and everyone but she doesn’t see Clary.

Isabelle freezes in the middle of The Hunter’s Moon until she feels a ghost of breath on her neck, Clary whispering “boo.”

“Aren’t you scary?” Isabelle teases as she turns to face Clary.

“I am very scary,” Clary says, jutting out her lower lip.

“Sometimes you are,” Isabelle concedes, slipping closer.

“See?” Clary says, her arms going to Isabelle’s hips, splaying her fingers down.

“You look stunning.”

“Do I?”

“Of course you do, Isabelle,” Clary murmurs, gently pressing her lips against Isabelle’s cheek.

She presses another kiss to her cheek and Isabelle laughs quietly, sidestepping away from the middle of the bar. Clary follows. (She always does.)

They are close again, Clary resting her head on Isabelle’s shoulder. Her pride makeup is slightly smeared but she looks gorgeous all the same, Isabelle thinks.

“What are you thinking of?” Clary inquires, a hum against Isabelle’s shoulder.

“You. Pride. All of this,” Isabelle says, hugging Clary just a bit tighter. “It’s so much more than what I expected.”

“And what did you expect, Isabelle?” Clary says.

“Honestly? I don’t know,” Isabelle murmurs. “I just know that we are so much more than where we were and it’s a good thing. A really good thing.”

She quickly gestures to the plethora of Shadowhunters and Downworlders mingling, to her brother and brother-in-law, to her mom and Luke, to Helen and Aline, Simon, Maia, and to everyone else.

“I am so grateful for the way things have turned out and I am so grateful for you,” Isabelle says as she changes their position.

Clary is smiling as she leads her by the hand and to the dance floor, spinning into the late hours of the night. They are in their own little world, Isabelle dipping Clary as they laugh and laugh and laugh, filled with love and joy.


End file.
